Who Are You?

[HandySparks]

This poll is for all Forum members. Please read the poll carefully and then choose the best description in the context of your membership of the forum. I can't include all options, so you might like to go into more detail by posting in the thread.

The poll is confidential (forum names are not visible).

For the purposes of the poll:
'Apprenticeship' means a pre-planned formal arrangement for multiple years of structured classroom and on-the-job training.
'Short Course' means a concentrated course of less than 6 weeks of mostly classroom based learning. (Just a C&G 2381 / 2382 'regs' course doesn't count.)
'Electrician' means anyone doing hands-on installation, maintenance, repair or testing of electrical systems (normally for payment) and includes 'domestic installer'.

 

[TheHUNTED]

If if there is no shortage why is there so much work in the domestic market? Why do I constanly get comments from customers thanking me for just answering the phone or replying or even turning up for a quote.? I feel I am the only person out there responding to customers sometimes. Maybe it's because I am willing to do the small jobs as well as the larger that I get so much work. I don't know. I know it's not that I am cheap. I know my worth and charge accordingly.

maybe it's different where you are.

There is a shortage of electricians in the domestic sector, but not in short course domestic installers. As DW says, its littered with them so you are trying to compete with their stupidly low prices.

Apprenticeships are great by the way. You dunno what you're missing!

 

[Engineer54]

how are we going to deal with the massive shortage of electricians at the moment?

Massive shortage of electricians in the domestic sector, you've got to be having a laugh!! lol!! The only people that have ever been throwing that little gem around is the 17 day/Electrical Trainee training centres!! They also throw in the part P crap and the pat testing sham of a cert. So i'm now wondering!!!

 

[Essex_]

If thats the case then you are blessed with having your own niche area of a large customer base with little competition but the general theme is the domestic is saturated as I said the going rate would be substantially higher otherwise which it isn't.

Or the home owners would just 'live with' problems or not get that extension they were always talking about.

 

[Deleted account]

I think we have gone off topic here a bit, but before this thread is put back to "who are you?" I'd like to add a couple of points.

Even though I didn't come thru the apprentice route I strongly agree that it is the best route and a route I would have preferred. Your right TheHunted I don't know what I missed, but would have liked to.

It has been said that the market is flooded with electrical installers which is driving the price down and if there was a shortage the prices would rocket. I am thinking maybe that's exactly what some electricians want. Hence the shortage of apprentices? So Im now wondering!!!

I charge £45 for the first hour and £25 per hour thereafter or £200 day rate plus materials at cost plus 10-25% and I am happy with that and I get enough work. How much more do I need? Yes I would love a pay rise, but that would not happen if prices increased.

If I charge more (you are right Essex) the customers would just live with the problems and not get electrical work done or worse do it themselves ( nearly always the cheapest option) if capable or not.

 

[jonny705]

Orginal post by
spinlondon

'When I left the RAF, I attempted to join the JIB, as I believed it was the correct course of action for the work I intended to do.
Unfortunately, they informed me that my qualifications, apprenticeship and experience were not acceptable.
They told me that I would have to first obtain civilian qualifications.
During my 2 year course for the 2360, I discovered that there was no necessecity for me to join the JIB, however I continued and completed the course, as I had paid up front.
I subsequently some years later found that I required the JIB/ECS card to be able to work on the majority of building sites. So taking the course was in fact some use.
However even today the JIB card is not necessary for domestic work, and is not even accepted for conducting EICRs by LABCs and many Insurance companies. '
​

Just skimming through this and read your post regarding JIB.

When I done my 2360 at Cov tech years ago, there was 2 classes running in tandem of around 30 to each Tutor.

There was the JIB apprentices, and us ragamuffins.

And I remember them as they all had matching toolboxes full of tools safety boots etc, and we would all queue up in the corridors, and most of the time they didn't even acknowledge us , as we weren't I guess on recognised apprentice schemes.

Fast forward our exams and about 5 from our class failed and the rest passed , and the JIB 5 passed and the rest failed.

And although I am ashamed a little of it now , I was was very young then and felt extremely smug

 

[Dan]

I'm just bumping some of the older threads in the general electrical forum that had a lot of replies. They might not be current topics, if they're not, just ignore them and they'll soon drop off the list. If you DO wish to add a reply and get the conversation going again, feel free to do so. Your input might help somebody else in the future.